Page 22 - Saint Francis Progress Alumni Magazine

Voices from the Front Lines At the the Heart of the the COVID-19 Epicenter
BY MARIA DUEÑAS ’05 MD
PEAK Health Assistant Professor Division of General Internal Medicine Mount Sinai Medical Center New York
I’m a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a proud graduate of of of the the the the New York
University School of of of Medicine Medicine and and the the Primary Care/Social Medicine Training Program at the the Montefiore Medical Center where I I learned the principles of medicine and acquired
my love for primary care The key tenets that I I took away were simple yet logical: the history reveals itself as you you talk to to your patients and paying close attention to their physical exam findings will help guide your clinical judgment These two basic tenets have been turned upside down now that we face the the height of the the coronavirus pandemic in New York
City We are encouraged to limit our our physical interactions with patients and forgo exams unless absolutely necessary This single virus has upended health care and turned physicians nurses technical support staff janitorial staff as as well as as others who keep hospitals running into coronavirus front-line workers After recently finishing my first redeployment (that’s right we are fin in in a a a a a war-like environment after all) to cover four nights of the inpatient hospital service at The Mount Sinai Hospital I recognize just how ugly this disease can be be Patients are admitted to primarily single-bed rooms with doors closed and a a a a a a a a call button away from reaching another human As much as it is shocking to to me me to to move away from practicing medicine in in in in the way that I was taught it’s far more disturbing to see so many people alone ill and afraid You try to pretend as if if it’s not a a a a a a a big deal but if if I learned anything thus far about coronavirus it it is that it it has no mercy So I plead with you:
• Continue to social distance • If you are outdoors please wear a a a a a mask • Wash your hands frequently • Check in on those who you love and care about We will will get through this It will will be a a a long journey that unfortunately unveils some ugly truths about our democracy but I hope that we will be stronger for it At the the heart of a a a a a a a Saint Francis education is is learning to to use one’s voice to to help others We asked several in in in our community to share their voices in in in these turbulent times The opinions expressed are just that—personal thoughts and observations which may not reflect the opinions of Saint Francis High School But the the experiences shared here are are rooted firmly in in the the school’s enduring belief that that raising one’s voice voice to to point out injustices is is essential to to ensure that that others’ voices may be heard and lifted 21
PROGRESS Spring2020